Week 2
Consider how racism is present in modern life.
Read this article by NYT columnist Michelle Alexander, about how widespread, systemic racism is steeped in denial.
Listen to Episode 3 of the Do the Work podcast, hosted by Kyle Goodman and Debbie Irving. Each episode features two people with a close relationship who are struggling to cross racial barriers. (46 min)
Watch this animated short explaining how systemic racism affects life in the U.S. (4 min)
Daily Journal: Make sure to log your progress each day. This is a great place to jot down a few notes about how this week's content has impacted your thinking.
Prompts for Discussion
Practice explaining the difference between interpersonal and systemic racism. How could you explain these concepts to a misinformed friend?
As a child, what messages did you receive about race? About the success and/or value of people from other races?
Have you had any uncomfortable conversations about race and racism with people in your life? How did those conversations begin? If you haven't had these conversations, what is preventing you from having them?
Take an Implicit Association Test. This test was developed as part of Project Implicit at Harvard University, and explores conscious and unconscious preferences. After you take the test, you can further reflect on your results using these questions.
Explore More
Use this chart to consider the power of oppression, particularly for people who identify with multiple targeted social groups.
Listen to this episode of NPR's Hidden Brain Podcast, about the role of implicit bias in decision making. (37 min)
Read this article from Grist, about the intersection of racial segregation and environmental justice.